Grimes Co Jail in Anderson, TX is a county detention facility operated by the Grimes County Sheriff's Office. Most people here are awaiting trial or sentencing - this is not a prison, and most stays are measured in days or months, not years. If someone you care about was just booked here, you have questions. Start with the one that matters most right now.
If you are not certain they are there, the fastest way to confirm is the Grimes County inmate search or InmateAid's inmate locator, which searches across Texas facilities by name.
Booking takes time - sometimes several hours after arrest. If the search comes back empty, wait a few hours and try again before assuming they have been transferred somewhere else. You can also pull their arrest record and booking details to confirm the charges and facility assignment. For the most direct answer, call Grimes Co Jail at 936-873-6401.
Most people booked at Grimes Co Jail appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours. At that first appearance the judge sets the bail amount - or denies bail - based on the charges, the person's history, and whether they are considered a flight risk.
If bail is set, your family member can be released by paying the full amount or by using a bail bondsman, who typically charges 10 percent of the total as a non-refundable fee. If bail is denied or the amount is unaffordable, they remain at Grimes Co Jail until the case resolves. InmateAid's bail and bond guide walks through every option including what to do if you cannot afford a bondsman.
Right after arrest, your family member goes through intake at Grimes Co Jail - identity verification, medical screening, property inventory, and classification. Classification places them in a housing unit based on the charges, prior record, and intake behavior. It is not a punishment. It is how the facility manages a population that ranges from people picked up on minor warrants to individuals facing serious charges.
For the first 24 to 48 hours, phone access and visitation are typically unavailable while booking completes. Once they are assigned to a housing unit, those channels open up. InmateAid's what happens in jail guide covers the full intake process step by step so you know what to expect.
Your family member calls you - you cannot call them. Calls from Grimes Co Jail go through NCIC Inmate Telephone Services and all calls are recorded except attorney calls. Set up a NCIC Inmate Telephone Services account before the first call so the connection goes through without delay.
Phone contact is more important than most people realize going into this. A regular call - even a short one - makes a measurable difference in how someone holds up inside. Do not let the setup friction stop you. Visit InmateAid's jail calls page for step-by-step account setup, current rate information, and tips for keeping funds available.
Visitation hours at Grimes Co Jail are set by the facility and can change without much notice. Before making the trip, call 936-873-6401 to confirm current hours, any advance registration requirements, and what you are allowed to bring.
The most common mistake families make is showing up without confirming first - and that results in a wasted trip and a missed visit for your family member. General rules across most Texas county jails: dress conservatively, avoid colors that resemble inmate uniforms, leave your phone in your car, and bring valid government-issued ID. Children may be permitted with specific requirements depending on the facility. InmateAid's visitation guide has a full checklist you can run through before you go.
Grimes County Visitation
Visitation hours
- TDCJ/County Work Program - Saturday - 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Females - Saturday - 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
- Males - Sunday - 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
- Certain Offenses - Saturday - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
VISITATION RULES & REGULATIONS
- Inmates shall only receive visitors who are listed on the visitation list approved by the inmate and correctional staff. No more than five (5) names may be on the visiting list.
- Visitation day(s) and time(s) shall be determined by the Sheriff and be posted.
- Visitors shall check in at the visitation desk, show a valid state I.D., and indicate who they are visiting.
- Visitors aged 15 and older shall show a valid state driver’s license or identification card. No small children will be left unattended.
- Duration of the visits shall be controlled by the correctional staff to provide a minimum of 20 minutes. Each inmate shall be allowed two (2) 20-minute visits. Visitation is limited to one (1) adult, anyone above the age of 15, and one (1) child at a time, for safety precautions, and on a first-come, first-serve basis. NO EXCEPTIONS! It is the inmate’s right to notify the correctional staff, and shall be respected, that he/she would like to spend two (2) 20-minute visits with one approved visitor – after the first 20-minute visit, the visitor would then check with the visitation desk, sign back in for the second 20-minute visit and wait for the next visitation opening.
- No contact visits shall be permitted without prior approval from the Jail Administrator.
- Correctional officers are to search any person if they have probable cause to believe that the person may be carrying contraband or may be carrying a weapon. Any visitor refusing to be searched SHALL be immediately removed from the facility. All cell phones, purses, cameras, etc. shall be left in the vehicle and shall not enter the visitation room.
- Visitors in the jail shall conduct themselves in an orderly manner. Any visitor using loud or profane language, who becomes hostile or combative, who becomes abusive towards others, who fails to obey instructions, or in any way conducts themselves in any manner that is disruptive to the normal routine, will be expelled from the facility and if necessary will be PROHIBITED from future visits.
- Visitors are not permitted to give any articles to the inmates. No personal clothing or funds may be left for the inmate.
- All visitors entering the Grimes County Jail visitation area are required to adhere to the following dress code:
- Men shall wear a shirt and long pants.
- Women shall wear dresses, shirts or long pants.
- Shoes shall be worn.
- Shorts, cut-offs, tank tops, t-shirts (underwear type), fishnet and/or see-through fabrics of any type, skirts or blouses with an open midriff are all strictly PROHIBITED. Individuals who do not comply with these standards shall not be permitted to enter the Grimes County Jail visitation area.
THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL BE ENFORCED AND YOUR COOPERATION WILL BE APPRECIATED.
Money on the books - also called the commissary or trust account - gives your family member access to hygiene items, snacks, phone time, and postage. It is one of the most practical things you can do and it has a direct effect on their daily comfort.
Grimes Co Jail accepts deposits through approved channels that typically include online deposit, phone deposit, or a kiosk at the facility. Use your family member's full legal name and booking number exactly as they appear in the jail's system - any error in the name or number will delay or reject the deposit. InmateAid's send money page lists the specific deposit methods accepted at Grimes Co Jail and walks through the process.
A letter or a printed photo costs almost nothing to send and means far more than most people outside appreciate. Grimes Co Jail accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 382 FM 149 W. Put their full legal name and booking number on every piece of mail.
Standard rules at most Texas county jails: plain white paper only, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos should be standard print size with nothing written on the back. Mail that does not meet the facility's standards will be rejected - and the facility may not notify you that it was. Keep it simple.
InmateAid's send mail service lets you write and send directly from your phone or computer. We print on approved stock and mail it for you, so rejection for formatting is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come new, ordered directly from the publisher or through an online retailer - not shipped from your home address. Facilities require this to prevent contraband. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Anything shipped from a personal address will be turned away.
County jail procedures, visitation rules, phone rates, inmate search tools, bail processes, and what happens at release all vary by state. Texas has its own rules and its own agencies, and what applies in one state does not always apply here.
InmateAid's Texas prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the Texas system. Start there when you need answers that go beyond what this facility page covers.
County jail time is hard in a way that is different from anything else. The uncertainty - not knowing how long, not knowing what comes next - wears on everyone. What you can control is the connection. Calls, letters, visits, money on the books. Every one of those things tells your family member that someone out here is paying attention and is not going anywhere.
InmateAid was built for exactly this. Use us.